We all remember as we waited with bated breath for updates on OceanGate’s submersible, Titan, only for tragedy to strike. 5 participants lost their lives that day, and since then, filmmaker James Cameron has been very vocal about the incident. Now, his name has sprung up in controversy again.
The National Transportation Safety Board recently released the findings of its investigation, citing engineering failures, lack of testing, and flawed safety procedures, and so on, as the causes of the implosion (via CNN).
One “expert” was also interviewed by the Coast Guard as part of the investigation, and while the name of the person was redacted from the released documents, it doesn’t take a genius to know who might be behind the interview.
The “mystery man” was asked, “So, how did you get yourself started into submersible operations?” FYI, Cameron has made over 30 dives to the Titanic wreckage. Back to the conversation, the interviewee replied, “Well, I’m sure you’re familiar with my film ‘Titanic…‘ And that’s what gave it away.
He went on to add, “When I set down the path to make that film, the first thing that I did was arrange to be introduced to the head of the submersible program at the P.P. Shirshov Institute…“
Read more below:
A mysterious redacted expert in submersibles was interviewed by the Coast Guard during the OceanGate Titan investigation.
It is seemingly James Cameron — “Well, I'm sure you're familiar with my film Titanic” pic.twitter.com/Hx2yFp1tJr
Needless to say, the Internet had a field day with this one:
pic.twitter.com/ssJI1Q3vLi
Has to be the biggest flex in an interview 🤣
Seemingly you say? I think it is! pic.twitter.com/DZoji6Jzeo
The redaction pic.twitter.com/mnqp7vWb4B
I don’t know. Could be Leo or Kate. We’ll never know. pic.twitter.com/2u5YM6C7nr
Obviously, the redaction didn’t do much to keep Cameron’s identity hidden, did it?
What Has James Cameron Said About the Tragic Incident?
OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, deep-sea explorer Paul-Henri Margeolet, British businessman Hamish Harding, Pakistani-British Businessman Shahzada Dawood, and his son Suleman all lost their lives in the blink of an eye on June 18, 2023.
The world saw the tragic incident happen in front of their eyes, and everyone had something or other to say about it. So did James Cameron. After the catastrophic pressure killed the five men aboard, the filmmaker was among those who weren’t surprised by the outcome.
In an interview with ABC News, Cameron explained how the passengers received a “warning” before things went south. He stated, “We understand from inside the community that they had dropped their ascent weights and they were coming up, trying to manage an emergency.”
Cameron also expressed his disappointment with the experimental approach of OceanGate when it came to the Titan. Comparing it to the Titanic disaster, he said (via NPR),
I’m struck by the similarity of the Titanic disaster itself, where the captain was repeatedly warned about ice ahead of his ship, and yet, he steamed up full speed into an ice field on a moonless night, and many people died as a result. And for a very similar tragedy, where warnings went unheeded, to take place at the same exact site, with all the diving that’s going on all around the world, I think it’s just astonishing, it’s really quite surreal.
He added that deep submergence is no joke; instead, it’s a “mature art” with few accidents in record. In fact, with the advancement in security today, the Titan’s story should never have ended the way it did.
Talking to Reuters, Cameron said that OceanGate “shouldn’t have been doing what it was doing” and that he was invited by Rush to join them on this expedition. Whether it was safety concerns or something else, the filmmaker’s refusal just saved his life.
James Cameron Once Accused OceanGate of Cutting Corners
Needless to say, James Cameron is not satisfied with the safety protocol, or the lack thereof, OceanGate followed with Titan. In an interview with the BBC, he called the company out for its attempt to “cut corners“, adding that they “didn’t get certified because they knew they wouldn’t pass.”
Speaking for himself, he would never have stepped foot into the submersible himself. He said, “I was very suspect of the technology that they were using. I wouldn’t have gotten in that sub.“
When Titan lost its navigation and communication all at once, Cameron knew “in his bones” that something horrible was going to happen. He recalled,
I felt in my bones what had happened. For the sub’s electronics to fail and its communication system to fail, and its tracking transponder to fail simultaneously – sub’s gone.
After talking to his contacts in that community, Cameron was able to attain these facts: “They were on descent. They were at 3,500 meters (11,483ft), heading for the bottom at 3,800 meters.” When he heard of the submersible losing its navigation and communication, the first thought the filmmaker had was an implosion.
Meanwhile, a 2019 blog post by OceanGate admitted that the Titan “fell outside the accepted system“, but that didn’t mean that “OceanGate does not meet standard where they apply.”
Do you think the tragedy could have been avoided? And what are your thoughts on Cameron’s interview with the Coast Guard? Let us know your opinions in the comments section below.
